USAFA loves re-applicants?

mlwmom

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With all the TWE's sent out today, I thought this might be a timely post. I keep reading how re-applicants are viewed favorably. Yet, I've seen multiple posts about candidates applying 2 times and still getting the TWE. One cadet applied three times before he got in. Are re-applicants considered favorably and how can you increase your chances of getting in? How can an applicant stand out as a college student when so many are already taking challenging courses? How much of their high school record helps at this point? Does it just come down to an awesome CFA or amazing essays? I already know the basics: take physics, calc, chem, english, etc; stay active in a sport if you are able; community service, etc. Are extra points added automatically just for re-applying?

Thank you for your insight!
 
With all the TWE's sent out today, I thought this might be a timely post. I keep reading how re-applicants are viewed favorably. Yet, I've seen multiple posts about candidates applying 2 times and still getting the TWE. One cadet applied three times before he got in. Are re-applicants considered favorably and how can you increase your chances of getting in? How can an applicant stand out as a college student when so many are already taking challenging courses? How much of their high school record helps at this point? Does it just come down to an awesome CFA or amazing essays? I already know the basics: take physics, calc, chem, english, etc; stay active in a sport if you are able; community service, etc. Are extra points added automatically just for re-applying?

Thank you for your insight!
GREAT POST!!!!! Thank you!

With TWE's being so general one must wonder where they lack. When your stats are all up to par with what is on USAFA website, and do not have opportunities anymore like Boys/Girls State, availability of extra curricular activities etc. What do you do now to stand above the other applicants?
 
It stinks to get a rejection, but if the academy is really your goal, reapplying for the next class is not the end of the world. In fact it may be a blessing in disguise. 30% of each class is not direct entry out of high school. I know someone who works in admissions now who got rejected, applied a second year out of college and graduated in the top 15% of his class. Meanwhile his roommate who was valedictorian in hs and got in directly out of high school flunked out. The thing about us reapplicants is that we have something that doesn't show through on paper: resilience and toughness. I'm giving myself a day to be sad, and then I'm moving on to critique every part of my app and improve to make myself the best candidate I can be. The academy is not perfect and a lot of people who would succeed there did not get in this year for one reason or another. I'm rooting for all of you guys, let's all pick each others brains and improve for next year. Honestly, the only downside to getting a rejection this year is we don't get to have a cool class graduation year like 2020. I feel everyones pain, I've wanted to go to the academy since I was 9 and I see it every day on my drive to school. Use this as fuel, we will all experience setbacks in our careers. The difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person is not if they fail, it's how they deal with failure. I'm mostly writing this for myself to process but maybe someone will find encouragement in it as well.
 
It stinks to get a rejection, but if the academy is really your goal, reapplying for the next class is not the end of the world. In fact it may be a blessing in disguise. 30% of each class is not direct entry out of high school. I know someone who works in admissions now who got rejected, applied a second year out of college and graduated in the top 15% of his class. Meanwhile his roommate who was valedictorian in hs and got in directly out of high school flunked out. The thing about us reapplicants is that we have something that doesn't show through on paper: resilience and toughness. I'm giving myself a day to be sad, and then I'm moving on to critique every part of my app and improve to make myself the best candidate I can be. The academy is not perfect and a lot of people who would succeed there did not get in this year for one reason or another. I'm rooting for all of you guys, let's all pick each others brains and improve for next year. Honestly, the only downside to getting a rejection this year is we don't get to have a cool class graduation year like 2020. I feel everyones pain, I've wanted to go to the academy since I was 9 and I see it every day on my drive to school. Use this as fuel, we will all experience setbacks in our careers. The difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person is not if they fail, it's how they deal with failure. I'm mostly writing this for myself to process but maybe someone will find encouragement in it as well.
Very well stated!
 
I applied to the class of 2016 at USAFA and got the TWE. But I got an AFROTC scholarship, so I went that route, and did everything I could to make myself more competitive - had 4.0 GPA freshman year in Engineering, did well in ROTC, etc. I reapplied to USAFA and got the TWE again. But I stuck with ROTC and I'm very happy I did so - it was definitely the right thing for me and I'll be commissioning in a month, and had some great experiences I never would have dreamed of along the way.
 
The thing about us reapplicants is that we have something that doesn't show through on paper: resilience and toughness.

"Resilience and toughness" will help once you get accepted, but not too much beforehand. I know several candidates that reapplied even twice and didn't get accepted. There is a limit to how much being looked favorably as a re-applicant can overcome. If your SAT is around 500s, get Bs in college, reapplying until reaching the maximum age won't change the outcome. As some others mentioned - retake SAT/ACT and improve, get good grades in tough college courses, be active, and do better on CFA.
 
With all the TWE's sent out today, I thought this might be a timely post. I keep reading how re-applicants are viewed favorably. Yet, I've seen multiple posts about candidates applying 2 times and still getting the TWE. One cadet applied three times before he got in. Are re-applicants considered favorably and how can you increase your chances of getting in? How can an applicant stand out as a college student when so many are already taking challenging courses? How much of their high school record helps at this point? Does it just come down to an awesome CFA or amazing essays? I already know the basics: take physics, calc, chem, english, etc; stay active in a sport if you are able; community service, etc. Are extra points added automatically just for re-applying?

Thank you for your insight!

There are no "extra points" for reapplying. If you work hard, improve the weak spots of your application, etc, your app becomes stronger. You become a better candidate. Ultimately, it is up to you to take matters into your own hands. While reapplying in the face of a TWE shows tenacity, USAFA needs to see more than that. Be truly dedicated to improving your situation and try your hardest. Ultimately, that is all you can do. Best of luck to you!
 
With all the TWE's sent out today, I thought this might be a timely post. I keep reading how re-applicants are viewed favorably. Yet, I've seen multiple posts about candidates applying 2 times and still getting the TWE. One cadet applied three times before he got in. Are re-applicants considered favorably and how can you increase your chances of getting in? How can an applicant stand out as a college student when so many are already taking challenging courses? How much of their high school record helps at this point? Does it just come down to an awesome CFA or amazing essays? I already know the basics: take physics, calc, chem, english, etc; stay active in a sport if you are able; community service, etc. Are extra points added automatically just for re-applying?

Thank you for your insight!
I am a second year applicant and from personal experience I would say reapplication does help. It shows that you have determination. While waiting to reapply make sure you continue to do well in school. If your ACT or SAT scores weren't that great take them again. Also don't be afraid to talk to your admissions counselor. I think I called mine at least 30 times this past year with questions about what classes to take, what classes to drop, and just to make sure everything was there on time. Good luck!
 
There are no "extra points" for reapplying. If you work hard, improve the weak spots of your application, etc, your app becomes stronger. You become a better candidate. Ultimately, it is up to you to take matters into your own hands. While reapplying in the face of a TWE shows tenacity, USAFA needs to see more than that. Be truly dedicated to improving your situation and try your hardest. Ultimately, that is all you can do. Best of luck to you!

Could not have put this better myself. Just attending a prep school or re-applying alone will not get you there. However, using the extra year to your advantage to hit the accelerator and really improve your weak areas is what will make you successful the second time around. If you want it, earn it. It will not just fall into your lap for being persistent.
 
"Resilience and toughness" will help once you get accepted, but not too much beforehand. I know several candidates that reapplied even twice and didn't get accepted. There is a limit to how much being looked favorably as a re-applicant can overcome. If your SAT is around 500s, get Bs in college, reapplying until reaching the maximum age won't change the outcome. As some others mentioned - retake SAT/ACT and improve, get good grades in tough college courses, be active, and do better on CFA.

What I was trying to say is that the resilience and toughness we have will show through when we reapply. What I have heard from the people I know in admissions is that re applicants are looked upon more favorably simply because they didn't give up. That being said, improving your stats is very important too.
 
Here's a dose of reality. Some reapplicants receive appointments, but more don't.

I always cringe when I see how many TWE recipients immediately announce their commitment to reapply. We read about the success stories, but many of those turned down fade away.

Don't get me wrong, I admire, heck... I love the tenacity of the kids that refuse to give up. While it is true that all of the academies like perseverence, it doesn't weigh heavily in the whole candidate score. It should however, be helpful in getting a nomination, as the MOC's admire kids with dreams.

The academies though, don't really consider the hopes and dreams of applicants. They fill the needs of the school, and ultimately the military. If a Reapplicants fills a geographical/congressional need, has the appropriate grades, medical, and ECA's, they have a chance. It has been published that 30% of the incoming class at USAMA were reapplicants. That's about 400 kids. That number seems really high to me. I know, I'm a skeptical guy, but 30% reapplicants? Maybe that number includes the prep school kids. If so, it makes sense.

Not to discourage anyone, but sometimes the bird in the hand definitely beats the one in the bush.
 
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You definitely need to do something this next year that wasn't on your High School application. For me that was a very high GPA in my year at college, letter of recommendation from my ROTC instructor and improving my CFA greatly. CFA was my weakest link so I hit the State U gym twice a day asking those upperclassmen in AFROTC who had high PFT scores what they did. A lot of sweat later and I'm at the academy.

Also to give you perspective in my squadron at USAFA we have 27 freshmen left. 10 of those 27 were not direct applicants out of high school. We have priors, preppies, falcon scholars and college students. Out of that 37% it was split pretty evenly among those four groups. Well most applicants come out of high school it is not uncommon to have to apply two or even three times.
 
You definitely need to do something this next year that wasn't on your High School application. For me that was a very high GPA in my year at college, letter of recommendation from my ROTC instructor and improving my CFA greatly. CFA was my weakest link so I hit the State U gym twice a day asking those upperclassmen in AFROTC who had high PFT scores what they did. A lot of sweat later and I'm at the academy.

Also to give you perspective in my squadron at USAFA we have 27 freshmen left. 10 of those 27 were not direct applicants out of high school. We have priors, preppies, falcon scholars and college students. Out of that 37% it was split pretty evenly among those four groups. Well most applicants come out of high school it is not uncommon to have to apply two or even three times.

Good work, that's really inspiring! My CFA was meh, I passed but my upper body strength sucks because I'm a distance runner hah. My goal is to max it out this year. Also, a major deficiency in my application was leadership, but I'm not really sure how to gain leadership experience in college as a freshman. Any ideas? Finally, I didn't get a nomination last year so that is probably another reason why I didn't get appointed. Definitely going to focus on that more as well.

That's encouraging about your squadron too, thanks for sharing!

Oh yeah, do you guys think its a good idea to retake the ACT? I have a C31, E35, M29, R33, S29.
 
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For leadership definitely join AFROTC and probably Arnold Air Society. Try to get a leadership position in one of those second semester. It's going to be very hard to get one, but not impossible. Another option is to find a club on campus that really interests you and join it. Even if you can't achieve a leadership role in a year it will keep you busy and look good on your application.

If your nomination sources do interviews be sure to practice a million times before you go do the actual interview. Answer truthfully and professionally. And stay calm!!! Don't forget you can pick up an AFROTC nom as well in college.

As for the ACT I would retake it even if you don't improve. It will show that you're trying and making an effort to better yourself. Maybe just focus really hard on that science section and bump it a point or 2.
 
Since my DS had a major weakness in his CFA, that is something that he will be able to work on, both on his own and in AFROTC. Will the CFA deadline be later for him as a re-applicant, and how does the nomination process work/change? Obviously, it would be great to get letters of recommendation from AFROTC squadron commander, but many of the deadlines were too early for the commander to be able to honestly say, "I know we'll what he is like."
 
A couple of things to remember from a reapplicant perspective.

It is not just about USAFA loving them more, it also comes down to the MoCs too. For some MoCs they will give principals to the 2nd timers. When Eric Cantor was in office (VA) he was known to give principals to the reapplicants over the 1st time applicant. In a competitive state like VA, that helps a lot when getting only 1 MoC nom to 1 SA is considered the norm. Thus, for posters that come from an area where the MoC uses the principal, it is not necessarily USAFA loving them more as a reapplicant, but because the MoC loves them more, the USAFA is going to give them an appointment if they are 3Q.

As others have stated get involved in ROTC. ROTC has very few charges. I believe 20, but the point is that is still 1 more slate you can compete on before hitting the NWL. The ROTC nom is like the Presidential, it is an unlimited slate, but limited in charging.

As many of you start this journey of plan B, keep your mind open to life in ROTC, don't get tunnel vision. You will find the majority of kids during this time really believe they will reapply, but once they get there next year decide that they are happy to stay in the ROTC program. They come to realize that for AFROTC as long as they maintain a certain cgpa, than the chances of getting their dream career field is very high (think 90%+). It starts to become the fact that they have bonded with their cadre, enjoy the friendships outside of ROTC, and the school itself which than leaves them with the question of do they want to commission a year later by going to USAFA for that USAFA experience. Neither is better or worse, it is just a personal decision.
~ AFROTC grads will go ADAF just like USAFA. Once ADAF nobody cares about your commissioning source, it is about doing your job. 50% of Flag officers are not SA grads. The most famous in my opinion would be a guy named Colin Powell (I know Army, but you get the point).
~~ I will say that if looking to get an educational delay (ED) right out of the gate than that is when I would say USAFA all the way. Getting an ED is competitive, but the chances are much higher to get an ED from USAFA than AFROTC.

As for next year not only should you get involved in military fraternities (Arnie Air, Silver Wings, Honor Guard or Angel Flight), but many dets. have GMC night. GMC night is usually held weekly, bi-weekly or monthly depending on the det. It is only for cadets that are in their 1st 2 years. They meet up at the det. lounge, order in pizza, play xbox, crud, foosball for a couple of hours. Not every college dorms ROTC cadets together, thus it allows them the chance to get to know each other outside of PT and LLAB.

I would also say that you should double down. Apply for the ICSP scholarship too.
 
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